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EP3986447A1 - Protéines porteuses modifiées de manière rationnelle pour vaccins - Google Patents

Protéines porteuses modifiées de manière rationnelle pour vaccins

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Publication number
EP3986447A1
EP3986447A1 EP20826330.1A EP20826330A EP3986447A1 EP 3986447 A1 EP3986447 A1 EP 3986447A1 EP 20826330 A EP20826330 A EP 20826330A EP 3986447 A1 EP3986447 A1 EP 3986447A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
antigen
protein
peptide
adjuvant
imaas
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP20826330.1A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP3986447A4 (fr
Inventor
Avvari Krishna PRASAD
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Citranvi Biosciences LLC
Original Assignee
Citranvi Biosciences LLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Citranvi Biosciences LLC filed Critical Citranvi Biosciences LLC
Publication of EP3986447A1 publication Critical patent/EP3986447A1/fr
Publication of EP3986447A4 publication Critical patent/EP3986447A4/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K39/12—Viral antigens
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K39/385—Haptens or antigens, bound to carriers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K39/12—Viral antigens
    • A61K39/215—Coronaviridae, e.g. avian infectious bronchitis virus
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K39/39—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characterised by the immunostimulating additives, e.g. chemical adjuvants
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
    • A61P37/00—Drugs for immunological or allergic disorders
    • A61P37/02—Immunomodulators
    • A61P37/04—Immunostimulants
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K2039/555—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characterised by a specific combination antigen/adjuvant
    • A61K2039/55511—Organic adjuvants
    • A61K2039/55516—Proteins; Peptides
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K2039/555—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characterised by a specific combination antigen/adjuvant
    • A61K2039/55511—Organic adjuvants
    • A61K2039/55555—Liposomes; Vesicles, e.g. nanoparticles; Spheres, e.g. nanospheres; Polymers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K2039/60—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characteristics by the carrier linked to the antigen
    • A61K2039/6031—Proteins
    • A61K2039/6037—Bacterial toxins, e.g. diphteria toxoid [DT], tetanus toxoid [TT]
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K2039/62—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characterised by the link between antigen and carrier
    • A61K2039/627—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characterised by the link between antigen and carrier characterised by the linker
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K2039/64—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characterised by the architecture of the carrier-antigen complex, e.g. repetition of carrier-antigen units
    • A61K2039/645—Dendrimers; Multiple antigen peptides
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
    • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
    • C12N2770/00—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA ssRNA viruses positive-sense
    • C12N2770/00011—Details
    • C12N2770/20011—Coronaviridae
    • C12N2770/20034—Use of virus or viral component as vaccine, e.g. live-attenuated or inactivated virus, VLP, viral protein

Definitions

  • the invention relates to the design and development of rationally engineered Carrier Proteins (reCaPs) geared towards producing Multifunctional Chimeric
  • MCFPs recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • the key components of the MCFPs are (i) genetically engineered carrier proteins; (ii) polypeptide antigens;
  • the present invention also relates to recombinantly expressed Self-Assembling Adjuvanted Nanoparticles (SAANPs), comprising reCaPs fused with various polypeptide and protein antigens, useful as vaccine candidates.
  • SAANPs Self-Assembling Adjuvanted Nanoparticles
  • the present invention also relates to conjugate vaccine technologies related to design and development of novel reCaPs for immunogenicity enhancement and/or stability enhancement and as vaccine candidates.
  • the invention also relates to the design and development of reCaPs, with no lysine residues in the T cell epitopes, present in the carrier proteins, in order to prevent conjugation of the target antigen to the T-cell epitope regions.
  • the invention also relates to the design and development of reCaPs, with fewer lysine residues, geared towards producing conjugate vaccines with minimal cross-linking.
  • the present invention also relates to the production of Self-Assembling Adjuvanted Nanoparticles (SAANPs), comprising reCaPs chemically conjugated with various antigens.
  • SAANPs Self-Assembling Adjuvanted Nanoparticles
  • the present invention relates to the design and production of SAANPs, comprising MCFPs as well as carrier proteins conjugated with various antigens, to minimize non-specific interactions between the T-cell epitopes of the carrier proteins as well as the critical immunogenic epitopes of the conjugated antigens and the adjuvants.
  • Fig. 1 depicts the current classical vaccine formulation process of the mixing of the conjugated antigen (drug substance) with the adjuvant to produce the“drug product”.
  • Fig. 2 provides the production design of an example Multifunctional Chimeric Fusion.
  • the recombinantly expressed fusion protein (MCFP) is comprised of the following components: (A) a carrier protein; (B) linker peptide; (C) polypeptide antigen and (D) Dual Function Peptide.
  • the molecule on the left, that contains the A, B, C and D components, is an example of a MCFP.
  • Multimerization, by in situ self-assembly of the MCFPs results in the labeled Drug Substance.
  • Formulation of the Drug Substance with an adjuvant results in the Drug Product.
  • Multimerization of the MCFPs (indicated as “Drug Substance” in the drawing) with adjuvants results in a Drug Product, which is an example of a Self-Assembling Adjuvanted Nanoparticle (SAANP).
  • SAANP Self-Assembling Adjuvanted Nanoparticle
  • FIG. 3 is the cartoon representation of the structure of CTRNV5 fusion protein pentamer, depicting CTB with each of the monomer units attached via a linker to the DFP at the C-terminus.
  • CTB pentamer is represented by ribbons, and the fusing of each of the five monomers units with each of the five (i) linkers and (ii) DFPs, respectively, are shown in stick representation
  • Fig. 4 is an expression and solubility assessment of CTRNV5.
  • Samples were collected prior to induction with IPTG (denoted with“0”) and at three hours post- induction with IPTG (denoted with“3”).
  • Protein expression was assessed in whole cell protein samples (denoted with“WC”), and solubility of the recombinant protein was assessed in post-induction samples, where“S” indicates the soluble protein fraction and “I” indicates the insoluble protein fraction. Sizes of relevant molecular weight standards are shown at the left of the figure, and the CTRNV5 protein is indicated with a solid arrow at the right of the figure.
  • Fig. 5 includes data indicating periplasmic localization of CTRNV5.
  • Periplasmic proteins were purified from E. coli by cold osmotic shock.
  • M Protein molecular weight standard
  • 1 Whole cell protein from cells prior to induction with IPTG
  • 2 Whole cell protein from cells post-induction with IPTG
  • 3 Periplasmic proteins purified by cold osmotic shock. Sizes of relevant molecular weight standards are shown at the left of the figure.
  • CTRNV5 protein is indicated with a solid arrow at the right of the figure.
  • Figs. 6A and 6B include data showing purification of CTRNV5.
  • CTRNV5 was purified from the soluble protein fraction by IMAC in batch mode. The progression of purification was followed throughout the procedure by SDS-PAGE.
  • Fig. 6A includes IMAC in batch mode.
  • M Protein molecular weight standard
  • 1 Whole cell protein from cells prior to induction with IPTG
  • 2 Whole cell protein from cells post- induction with IPTG
  • 3 Proteins not bound during incubation with IMAC resin
  • 4 Proteins removed by first wash in buffer containing 5 mM imidazole
  • 5 Proteins removed by second wash in buffer containing 5 mM imidazole
  • 6 Proteins removed by first wash in buffer containing 60 mM imidazole
  • 7 Proteins removed by second wash in buffer containing 60 mM imidazole
  • 8 Proteins removed by third wash in buffer containing 60 mM imidazole.
  • M Protein molecular weight standard
  • 1 Whole cell protein from cells prior to induction with IPTG
  • 2 Whole cell protein from cells post- induction with IPTG
  • 3 Proteins eluted from the resin from the first wash in buffer containing 1 M imidazole
  • 4 Proteins eluted from the resin from the second wash in buffer containing 1 M imidazole
  • 5 Proteins eluted from the resin from the third wash in buffer containing 1 M imidazole
  • 6 Proteins eluted from the resin from the fourth wash in buffer containing 1 M imidazole
  • 7
  • Proteins eluted from the resin from the fifth wash in buffer containing 1 M imidazole Sizes of relevant molecular weight standards are shown at the left of each panel.
  • CTRNV5 protein is indicated with a solid arrow at the right in Fig. 6B.
  • Fig. 7 includes data showing recognition of CTRNV5 by a cholera toxin subunit B (CTB)- specific monoclonal antibody in Western blot hybridization.
  • CTB cholera toxin subunit B
  • Panel A M: Protein molecular weight standard; 1: 1 mg CTB (Sigma- Aldrich); 2: 1 mg purified CTRNV5 protein .
  • Panel B M: Protein molecular weight standard; 1: 1 mg cholera toxin subunit B (Sigma- Aldrich); 2: 1 mg purified CTRNV5 protein.
  • Fig. 8 includes data showing binding of GM1 ganglioside by CTRNV5 as assessed by ELISA. Binding of GM1 ganglioside by CTRNV5 was assessed with commercially available cholera toxin subunit B (Sigma CTB, Sigma- Aldrich) used as a positive control. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a negative control. Wells containing GM1 ganglioside were coated with 100 ng GM1 ganglioside. Some wells in the plate were left uncoated with GM1 ganglioside to ensure assay specificity.
  • BSA bovine serum albumin
  • Dilution series (0.05-50 ng/well) of BSA protein in GM1 ganglioside coated wells; Open circles: Dilution series (0.05-50 ng/well) of BSA protein in GM1 ganglioside non-coated wells.
  • Fig. 9 is a cartoon representation of the structure of the CTRNV10 fusion protein CTB-GGGS-SARS-Cov-2 Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) polypeptide-(GGGS)3- His10 at the C-terminus.
  • the CTB pentamer is represented by ribbons, and each of five monomers of the C-terminals fusing with each of the (i) RBD sequences, (ii) linkers and (iii) 10xHis tags, respectively, are shown in stick representation.
  • FIGs. 10A and 10B show data for purification of CTRNV11.
  • CTRNV11 was purified from the soluble protein fraction by IMAC in batch mode. The progression of purification was followed throughout the procedure by SDS-PAGE.
  • Fig. 10A. M shows data for purification of CTRNV11.
  • CTRNV11 was purified from the soluble protein fraction by IMAC in batch mode. The progression of purification was followed throughout the procedure by SDS-PAGE.
  • Protein molecular weight standard 1: Whole cell protein from cells prior to induction with IPTG; 2: Whole cell protein from cells post- induction with IPTG; 3: Proteins not bound during incubation with IMAC resin; 4: Proteins removed by first wash in buffer containing 5 mM imidazole; 5: Proteins removed by second wash in buffer containing 5 mM imidazole; 6: Proteins removed by first wash in buffer containing 60 mM imidazole; 7: Proteins removed by second wash in buffer containing 60 mM imidazole; 8: Proteins removed by third wash in buffer containing 60 mM imidazole.
  • Fig. 10B Protein molecular weight standard
  • M Protein molecular weight standard
  • 1 Whole cell protein from cells prior to induction with IPTG
  • 2 Whole cell protein from cells post- induction with IPTG
  • 3 Proteins eluted from the resin from the first wash in buffer containing 1 M imidazole
  • 4 Proteins eluted from the resin from the second wash in buffer containing 1 M imidazole
  • 5 Proteins eluted from the resin from the third wash in buffer containing 1 M imidazole
  • 6 Proteins eluted from the resin from the fourth wash in buffer containing 1 M imidazole. Sizes of relevant molecular weight standards are shown at the left of each panel.
  • CTRNV 11 protein is indicated with a solid arrow at the right in Fig. 10B.
  • an antigen or“immunogen” includes single or plural antigens or immunogens and can be considered equivalent to the phrase “at least one antigen” or“at least one immunogen”.
  • adjuvant refers to a substance capable of enhancing, accelerating, or prolonging the body's immune response to an immunogen or immunogenic composition, such as a vaccine (although it is not immunogenic by itself).
  • An adjuvant may be included in the immunogenic composition, such as a vaccine.
  • conjugated nanoparticle means a nanoparticle which is associated with an adjuvant, in some examples, via non-covalent interactions, such as ionic, Hydrogen, hydrophobic, van der Waals forces, etc.
  • administration refers to the introduction of a substance or composition into a subject by a chosen route. Administration can be local or systemic. For example, if the chosen route is intramuscular, the composition (such as a composition including a disclosed immunogen) is administered by introducing the composition into a muscle of the subject.
  • antigen refers to a molecule that can be recognized by an antibody.
  • antigens include polypeptides, peptides, lipids, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids containing antigenic determinants, such as those recognized by an immune cell.
  • blocking core adjuvant surface space from non-specific binding means the adjuvant surface binds preferentially to a peptide attached to the carrier protein (such as the dual function peptide), in some examples via non-covalent interactions, and minimizes the direct interactions between the antigen (portion of the MCFP) and the adjuvant.
  • the main objective of the blocking is particularly to minimize the direct interactions between the immunogenic epitopes of the antigen and the adjuvant.
  • bound to refers to the association of two different molecules via covalent or non-covalent interactions.
  • carrier protein refers to a protein that helps an antigen to augment its immunogenic properties. For example, the immunogenicity of small molecules, saccharides and peptides as human vaccines is enhanced by coupling of the antigens to carrier proteins.
  • CAPD Adjuvant system refers to a macromolecular system that can direct the carrier protein to bind with an adjuvant, in an ordered fashion, to display the antigen (attached to the carrier protein) with the aid of a peptide (such as the DFP, attached to the carrier).
  • the CAPD Adjuvant is designed to minimize the interactions (or association) between the antigen portion and the adjuvant.
  • chimeric fusion protein refers to a hybrid protein produced by recombinant protein expression via the translation of a fusion gene which results in multiple polypeptides with functional properties derived from one or more parent proteins.
  • controlling the density of the peptide antigen means the ability of the adjuvant to associate with multiple copies of the MCFP ( via the DFP, specifically) in ordered fashion, in some examples, via non-covalent interactions.
  • domain refers to a polypeptide sequence that can evolve, function, and exist independently of the rest of the protein chain. Each domain forms a compact three- dimensional structure and often can be independently stable and folded.
  • DFP dual function peptide
  • the term "effective amount” refers to an amount of agent that is sufficient to generate a desired response. For instance, this can be the amount necessary to inhibit viral replication or to measurably alter outward symptoms of the viral infection.
  • epitopes refers to the region of an antigen to which an antibody, B cell receptor, or T cell receptor binds or responds.
  • Epitopes can be formed from contiguous amino acids or noncontiguous amino acids juxtaposed by secondary, tertiary, or quaternary folding of a protein. Epitopes formed from contiguous amino acids are typically retained on exposure to denaturing solvents whereas epitopes formed by higher order folding are typically lost on treatment with denaturing solvents.
  • heterologously derived refers to incorporation of a sequence, either nucleotide or amino acid, that is not naturally present in a sequence of interest.
  • incorporacity of heterologous sequences can be accomplished, for example, by recombinant DNA technology.
  • host cells refers to cells in which a vector can be propagated and its DNA or RNA expressed.
  • the cell may be prokaryotic or eukaryotic.
  • the present invention provides nucleic acid molecules that encode peptide-linked protein immunogens described herein above.
  • These nucleic acid molecules include DNA, cDNA, and RNA sequences.
  • the nucleic acid molecule can be incorporated into a vector, such as an expression vector.
  • nucleic acid or polypeptide sequences refers to two or more sequences or subsequences that are the same or have a specified percentage of nucleotides or amino acid residues or nucleotides that are the same, when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence. Methods of alignment of sequences for comparison are well known in the art. Once aligned, the number of matches is determined by counting the number of positions where an identical nucleotide or amino acid residue is present in both sequences.
  • sequences disclosed and/or claimed herein may be 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99% identical to the actual sequences in any of the SEQ ID NOs that are part of this application.
  • sequences disclosed and/or claimed herein may be at least 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99% identical to the actual sequences in any of the SEQ ID NOs that are part of this application.
  • sequences disclosed and/or claimed herein may be less than 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99% identical to the actual sequences in any of the SEQ ID NOs that are part of this application.
  • sequences disclosed herein may be or may be 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99% identical or at least 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99% identical, and less than 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99% identical, as appropriate, to the actual sequences in any of the SEQ ID NOs that are part of this application.
  • immunogen refers to a compound, composition, or substance that is immunogenic as defined herein below.
  • immunogenic refers to the ability of a substance to cause, elicit, stimulate, or induce an immune response against a particular antigen, in a subject, whether in the presence or absence of an adjuvant.
  • immunogenicity refers to the ability of a foreign substance, such as an antigen, to provoke an immune response in the body of a human or other animal, whether in the presence or absence of an adjuvant.
  • immune response refers to any detectable response of a cell or cells of the immune system of a host mammal to a stimulus (such as an immunogen), including, but not limited to, innate immune responses (e.g., activation of Toll receptor signaling cascade), cell-mediated immune responses (e.g., responses mediated by T cells, such as antigen- specific T cells, and non-specific cells of the immune system), and humoral immune responses (e.g., responses mediated by B cells, such as generation and secretion of antibodies into the plasma, lymph, and/or tissue fluids).
  • innate immune responses e.g., activation of Toll receptor signaling cascade
  • cell-mediated immune responses e.g., responses mediated by T cells, such as antigen- specific T cells, and non-specific cells of the immune system
  • humoral immune responses e.g., responses mediated by B cells, such as generation and secretion of antibodies into the plasma, lymph, and/or tissue fluids.
  • immune responses include an alteration (e.
  • lymphokine e.g., cytokine (e.g., Thl, Th2 or Thl7 type cytokines) or chemokine) expression or secretion, macrophage activation, dendritic cell activation, T cell (e.g., CD4+ or CD8+ T cell) activation, NK cell activation, B cell activation (e.g., antibody generation and/or secretion), binding of an immunogen (e.g., antigen; e.g., immunogenic polypeptide) to an MHC molecule, induction of a cytotoxic T lymphocyte ("CTL") response, induction of a B cell response (e.g., antibody production), and, expansion (e.g., growth of a population of cells) of cells of the immune system (e.g., T cells and B cells), and increased processing and presentation of antigen by antigen presenting cells.
  • immunogen e.g., antigen; e.g., immunogenic polypeptide
  • CTL cytotoxic
  • immunogenic composition refers to a composition comprising an immunogen.
  • infectious disease refers to a disease (such as influenza, malaria, meningitis, rabies, or tetanus) caused by the entrance into the body of pathogenic agents or microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, protozoans, or fungi) which grow and multiply there.
  • a disease such as influenza, malaria, meningitis, rabies, or tetanus
  • pathogenic agents or microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoans, or fungi
  • iMAAS integrated Multiple Antigen displayed Adjuvant System
  • iMAAS refers to a set of macromolecules that can direct them to bind with an adjuvant, via non- covalent interactions in an ordered fashion to display the antigen (covalently bound to the carrier protein) with the aid of a peptide (covalently attached to the carrier) such as the DFP.
  • the iMAAS is designed to minimize the direct interactions between the immunogenic epitopes of an antigen and an adjuvant.
  • iMCAAS integrated Multiple Conjugated Antigen displayed Adjuvant Systems
  • iMCAAS refers to a set of macromolecules that can direct them to bind with an adjuvant, via non-covalent interactions in an ordered fashion to display the conjugated antigen (that is chemically bound to the carrier protein via one or more covalent bonds) with the aid of a peptide (covalently attached to the carrier) such as the DFP.
  • the iMCAAS is designed to minimize the direct interactions between the immunogenic epitopes of a chemically conjugated antigen and an adjuvant.
  • linker peptide refers to small peptides that connect protein and polypeptide subunits, and also provide many other functions, such as maintaining cooperative inter-domain interactions or preserving biological activity. Peptide linkers in multi-domain proteins are helpful for the rational design of recombinant fusion proteins. Similar to recombinant fusion proteins, several naturally-occurring multi- domain proteins are composed of two or more functional domains joined by linker peptides.
  • micromolecule refers to molecules containing a very large number of atoms, such as lipids, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, polypeptides, proteins, nucleic acids, or synthetic polymers.
  • MCFPs Multifunctional Chimeric Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • the key components of the MCFPs are (i) genetically engineered carrier proteins; (ii) polypeptide antigens; (iii) linker peptides, optionally fused to heterologous T-cell epitopes; (iv) Dual Function Peptides (DFP) which can perform as purification aids as well possessing the non-covalent affinity to bind to an adjuvant.
  • DFP Dual Function Peptides
  • Nanoparticle refers to macromolecules or particles of any shape with dimensions in the 1 ⁇ 10 -9 and 1 ⁇ 10 -7 m range. Nanoparticles occur widely in nature and are objects of study in many disciplines such as biology, chemistry and materials science. The production of nanoparticles with specific properties is an important branch of these disciplines. Nanoparticles are used in a number of biomedical applications such as drug carriers. Nanoparticle technology allows for controlled delivery of some drugs to achieve the most desirable biological outcome, example in cancer therapeutics. Some other medical applications include special materials for wound dressings,
  • non-specific binding means an inter-molecular interaction that is undesirable.
  • the desirable goal of immunogenic epitopes of antigens is to help them interact with specific cells of the immune system such as B-cells.
  • Human B cells have B cell receptors on their surface, which they use to bind to specific
  • pharmaceutically acceptable carriers refers to a material or
  • composition which, when combined with an active ingredient, is compatible with the active ingredient and does not cause toxic or otherwise unwanted reactions when administered to a subject, particularly a mammal.
  • pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include solvents, surfactants, suspending agents, buffering agents, lubricating agents, emulsifiers, absorbants, dispersion media, coatings, and stabilizers.
  • pathogenic refers to causing or capable of causing disease
  • pathogen- specific refers to the antigen epitopes that are derived from bacteria or viruses that are specific causative agents of a variety of infectious diseases.
  • polypeptide antigen refers to a polypeptide molecule, derived from pathogenic bacteria or viruses, that can be recognized by an antibody. Polypeptide antigens are recognized by immune cells such as antigen presenting cells or B cells.
  • the term“rationally engineered Carrier Protein” refers to a recombinantly expressed chimeric fusion protein (CFP) that has been designed to engineer additional peptides, such as linkers and/or T cell epitopes into a carrier protein that can further augment an antigen to boost its immunogenic responses, via self-assembly to form nanoparticles, recruit additional T-cell help, etc.
  • CFP chimeric fusion protein
  • the newly engineered T cell epitopes in some examples, without lysine residues, can stay unmodified during the process of chemical conjugation thereby remain unhindered during the process of soliciting T cell help.
  • SAANPs Self Assembling Adjuvanted Nanoparticles
  • the term“self assembling” refers to the spontaneous organization of smaller subunits, without any catalyst, to form larger, well-organized patterns. For nanoparticles, this spontaneous assembly is a consequence of interactions between the particles aimed at achieving an equilibrium.
  • subject refers to either a human or a non-human mammal.
  • mammal refers to any animal species of the Mammalia class. Examples of mammals include: humans; non-human primates such as monkeys; laboratory animals such as rats, mice, guinea pigs; domestic animals such as cats, dogs, rabbits, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and pigs; and captive wild animals such as lions, tigers, elephants, and the like.
  • vaccine refers to a pharmaceutical composition comprising an immunogen that is capable of eliciting a prophylactic or therapeutic immune response in a subject.
  • a vaccine elicits an antigen-specific immune response to an antigen of a pathogen, for example a viral pathogen.
  • the product contains antigens (immunogens) from many serotypes of the microorganism and optionally, an adjuvant.
  • the product contains antigens (immunogens) from many serotypes of the microorganism as well as one or more heterogeneous antigens (immunogens) and an adjuvant.
  • Antigens are usually macromolecules, such as peptides, carbohydrates, proteins etc., having epitopes (specific antigenic sites) that recognize, interact and bind with various components of the immune systems, such as B lymphocytes. Typically, antigens are perceived by immune systems of living organisms as being foreign, toxic or dangerous and produce antibody molecules to combat these“foreign” antigens. Some antigens such as short peptides, small molecule haptens, some proteins and carbohydrates elicit a poor immunogenic response.
  • Peptide antigens used to generate site-specific antibodies to proteins have been described in the art towards the development of vaccines.
  • the poor immunogenic response of a short peptide could also be amplified by Multiple Antigen Peptide (MAP) based systems [Tam et al., 1988; Posnett, et al., 1988; Posnett, et al.,1989] to overcome the need for chemical conjugation to the carrier protein, forming nanoparticles.
  • MAP Multiple Antigen Peptide
  • the MAP system allows the formation of arrays of a wide range of peptidic nanoparticles in a controlled fashion.
  • the orientation and the subsequent presentation of the immunogen is a critical quality attribute for the generation of functional antibodies specific to the antigen.
  • These multimeric MAPs have been demonstrated to be highly immunogenic, allowing production of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. The majority of these antibodies react with the peptide in its monomeric form as well as its multimeric form.
  • the antigenic determinants of the peptide that are typically recognized by these antibodies include continuous type as well as conformational type of
  • Liposomes and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) have been described in the art as vaccine vehicles [Silva et al., 2016].
  • the MAP vaccines can carry several copies of peptide antigens on a carrier or nanoparticle and can elicit higher antibody titers than single peptide monomers and carrier protein-peptide conjugates.
  • the main limitation in the MAP systems is the need for additional components, such as an adjuvant, in many cases to elicit robust immunogenicity. Therefore, subsequent research efforts have been directed towards improvement of these MAP vaccines by the incorporation of multiple functions into a single vaccine product using helper T-cell epitopes, immune-stimulant lipid moieties, or cell-penetrating peptides, etc.
  • adjuvants such as Aluminum and Calcium based compounds, saponin based compounds such as QS-21, squalene-based compounds such as MF-59,
  • PGA polyglutamic acids
  • PGA derivatives have been described in the art as potential mucoadhesive adjuvants.
  • a PGA-based complex has been described as an efficient mucosal adjuvant system for an influenza vaccine based on the recombinant fusion protein sM2HA2, which contains the consensus matrix protein 2 (sM2) and the stalk domain of HA (HA2) [Noh et al., 2019] .
  • the g-PGA synthesized naturally by microbial species (e.g. Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus
  • licheniformis is a highly anionic polymer that is used in a variety of applications (e.g., food products, cosmetics, and medicines) and has been shown to have excellent biocompatibility and noncytotoxicity [Buescher et al., 2007, Kim et al., 2007]. It can act as a mucoadhesive delivery vehicle for recombinant protein antigens and also provide an easy and robust strategy for the incorporation of hydrophobic immuno stimulatory compounds such monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) derivatives, QS21 and intracellular stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonist adjuvants.
  • MPL monophosphoryl lipid A
  • STING intracellular stimulator of interferon genes
  • the current“antigen plus adjuvant” vaccine products are comprised of two key components“antigen” (drug substance) and“adjuvant” followed by a formulation process step which may contain additional inert ingredients such as“stabilizers” and“excipients” to form the drug product.
  • “antigen” drug substance
  • “adjuvant” additional inert ingredients
  • additional inert ingredients such as“stabilizers” and“excipients” to form the drug product.
  • Antigen architecture in a vaccine construct which defines epitope density features such as spacing, density and the rigidity/flexibility may significantly influence B cell responses, based on data from animal studies. There are several methods described in the art that demonstrate high density protein antigens, increased valency through
  • B cells optimally recognize viruses and bacteria that typically express dense, arrayed repetitive copies of proteins at their surfaces.
  • nanomaterials have found applications in several fields such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, vaccine development, etc. [Hartgerink et al., 1996; Rajagopal et al., 2004].
  • assemblies of polypeptides that present antigens with optimal density in defined orientations can potentially mimic the repetitiveness, geometry, size, and shape of the natural host-pathogen surface interactions [Lopez-Sagaseta et al., 2016].
  • Such nanoparticles offer a combined strength of multiple antigen binding sites (avidity) to provide enhanced stability and robust immunogenicity.
  • the self-assembling properties could be leveraged for the display of various immunogens in order to mimic the repetitive display architecture of a natural microbe, e.g. a virus capsid.
  • exogenous multimerization domains that promote formation of stable multimers of soluble proteins are known in the art.
  • multimerization domains that can be linked to an immunogen provided by the present disclosure include: (1) the GCN4 leucine zipper [Harbury et al. 1993]; (2) the trimerization motif from the lung surfactant protein [Hoppe et al. 1994]; (3) collagen [McAlinden et al. 2003] and (4) the phage T4 fibritin foldon [Miroshnikov et al. 1998].
  • Nanoparticles composed of a pentameric coiled-coil oligomerization domain derived from cartilage protein [Jung et al., 2009] and a trimeric coiled-coil
  • the Cholera Toxin B (CTB) subunit of Cholera Toxin protein produced by Vibrio cholerae consists of a homopentameric structure that is approximately 55 kD (11.6 kD monomers) and binds to the GM1 ganglioside; found in lipid rafts, on the surface of intestinal epithelial cells [Baldauf et al., 2015].
  • CTB acts as a transmucosal carrier delivery system for induction of oral tolerance when conjugated to antigens and allergens.
  • CTB has the ability to deliver covalently attached antigens to the mucosal cells via binding to GM1 ganglioside receptor on the surface of epithelial cells [Bergerot et al., 1997].
  • nanoparticles can be generated by self-assembly, or by covalent chemical conjugation of an antigen/immunogen to a nanoparticle.
  • VLPs virus-like particles
  • a number of methods have been described in the art that involve usage of proteins from various microorganisms as templates for the production of such nanoparticles and for the presentation of immunogenic epitopes.
  • Phage particles have been described in the art as an attractive antigen delivery system to design new vaccines [Prisco et al., 2012].
  • filamentous phage fd has been identified as an antigen delivery platform for peptide vaccines for immunotherapeutic targets.
  • Peptides displayed on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage fd were shown to induce humoral as well as cell-mediated immune responses.
  • the immune response induced by phage-displayed peptides can be enhanced by targeting phage particles to the antigen presenting cells, utilizing a single chain antibody fragment that binds a dendritic cell receptor.
  • phage particles to the antigen presenting cells, utilizing a single chain antibody fragment that binds a dendritic cell receptor.
  • Other examples include the protein pill of the filamentous phage fl, the Ty component from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the surface and core antigens of the hepatitis B virus, surface or coat proteins of human parvovirus B 19, Sindbis virus, and papillomavirus.
  • Examples of the vaccines based on the use of self-assembling VLPs that exploit the design principles described above include the licensed human papilloma virus vaccines, hepatitis B vaccine, etc.
  • a malaria vaccine candidate RTS was developed using the above design principles. It has been recommended for licensure by EMEA, after undergoing large scale phase 3 evaluation [Mahmoudi et al., 2017], was introduced in Ghana in April 2019.
  • This vaccine is based on the hepatitis B surface antigen VLP platform, which includes the C-terminal (amino acids 207-395) of the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite (CS) antigen along with the GSL AS01 adjuvant, a mixture of liposomes, MPL and QS-21.
  • the vaccine formulation with the mixture of adjuvants was demonstrated to induce humoral and cellular immune responses to the antigen.
  • H1N1 antibodies Helicobacter pylori ferritin has been employed to develop a vaccine candidate which elicited broadly neutralizing H1N1 antibodies in animal studies [Kanekiyo et al. 2013].
  • Ferritin is a natural protein that can be found in cells from all living species. Ferritin is useful as a vaccine platform since it provides particles that can display multiple antigens on its surface, mimicking their natural organization.
  • Hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza vims was inserted at the interface of adjacent subunits to generate eight trimeric viral spikes on the surface of ferritin nanoparticle via self-assembly [Darricarrere et al.,
  • a candidate vaccine using this influenza-ferritin self-assembling nanoparticle vaccine entered Phase 1 clinical trials in 2019 [NIH News, 2019].
  • a prototype universal influenza vaccine which displays part of HA (stem region only) on the surface of a nanoparticle made of nonhuman ferritin was developed by NIH scientists.
  • This H1N1 candidate vaccine protected animals from infection of H5N 1 a different influenza subtype, indicating that the antibodies induced by the vaccine can protect against other influenza subtypes within“group 1,” which includes both HI and H5.
  • carrier protein design should be leveraged towards carrier protein design.
  • carrier proteins should be designed to achieve optimal T-cell presentation.
  • antigen processing or transport In case of antigen interference, one of the mechanisms that has been postulated for antigen competition among combination vaccines is antigen processing or transport.
  • the mechanism for CIES has been postulated to involve inhibition in the presentation of the polysaccharide antigen epitopes, on a carrier protein, due to concurrent immunization and continued use of the same protein carrier in the combination multi-valent conjugate vaccines.
  • the concern related to increasing loads of carrier protein is the potential interference with immune responses to polysaccharide components of co-administered glycoconjugate vaccines.
  • conjugate vaccines can have positive as well as negative effects, and predictors of vaccine interactions are still not very clear due to a number of confounding factors and potential product-based variables.
  • proper control of the formulation with respect to the consistency of antigen presentation of the product is critical. Removal the product quality as a variable is important in order to alleviate concerns related to antigen interference as well as CIES. Since antigen competition and/or CIES may play a role in reducing vaccine efficacy; this challenge is a major consideration during the design strategy and development of each new conjugate vaccine construct for optimal immunogenicity.
  • the possibility of vaccine interference should be an important consideration when co-administering new multicomponent and multi-valent conjugate vaccines.
  • the design features of the optimal vaccine construct therefore, should incorporate the particle shape to mimic the microbial structure such as the antigen display architecture on the particle surface and repetition pattern (antigen density /copy number).
  • an integrated delivery of the antigen and adjuvant as well as the stability are important, as part of a comprehensive vaccine design and development strategy [Moyer, 2016; Prasad, 2018]
  • the formulation process currently used for the manufacture of various vaccines to produce the final Drug Product (DP) with various adjuvants such as aluminum phosphate, aluminum hydroxide, calcium phosphate etc., is typically not a fully controlled process step (Fig. 1). These adjuvants have been used for several decades to enhance the immune response to vaccines.
  • the control of the formulation process parameters is vital for manufacturing consistency since they have a direct impact on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of these adjuvants [HogenEsch 2018].
  • the optimization of the final construct of the vaccine could ultimately determine vaccine performance.
  • the non- specific interactions between adjuvants and antigens therefore, may have a direct impact on the potency of vaccines.
  • Vaccine products encounter various types of interfacial stress during development, manufacturing, and clinical administration [Li et al., 2019]. Protein antigens come in contact with various surfaces during various steps of formulation, with adjuvants, excipients and stabilizers. These additional interfaces can negatively impact the final vaccine drug product quality attributes. During the various processing steps of the vaccine drug substance including final formulation, additional chances for the formation of undesirable modifications and side products could arise. These undesirable
  • modifications include formation of visible particles, subvisible particles, or soluble aggregates and/or changes in target protein concentration due to the potential adsorption of the molecule to various interfaces. Protein aggregation at interfaces is often
  • the current classical formulation process typically involves mixing of various vaccine antigens (drug substances) with a given adjuvant such as an aluminum salt, using a few control parameters such as excipients, salts, pH, adjuvant concentration, etc., to produce the final drug product.
  • a given adjuvant such as an aluminum salt
  • control parameters such as excipients, salts, pH, adjuvant concentration, etc.
  • This control of the formulation process using a few selected process parameters results only in the partial control of the formulation process.
  • the partial control of formulation process parameters without addressing the key aspect of the optimal presentation of the critical immunogenic epitopes, may result in the random burial of the critical immunogenic epitopes, in the final formulated drug product, preventing their ability to interact with the antigen presenting cells (APCs) (Fig. 1).
  • APCs antigen presenting cells
  • adsorption of the antigen results in the conversion of the soluble antigens to particulate form, which enhances uptake through phagocytosis by dendritic cells.
  • the proper control of the process of adsorption during the formulation step also results in the control of key attributes of the particulates, such as molecular size.
  • the process of adsorption to the adjuvant also results in the retention of the antigen at the injection site, allowing time for recruitment of APCs through release of cytokines and the induction of a local inflammatory reaction.
  • the proper control of the process of adsorption during the formulation step therefore, results also in the control of key attributes that define the retention of the antigen at the injection site.
  • An optimal conjugate vaccine formulation therefore, requires that four key criteria are met in order to elicit a robust immunogenic response resulting in efficacy (i) minimization of non-specific interactions between the conjugated antigen, the T-cell epitopes of the carrier protein and the adjuvant; (ii) transport of conjugate vaccines to lymphoid tissues, (iii) trigger conjugated antigen as well as T-cell induced signals to immune cells, and (iv) control of the kinetics of conjugated antigen as well as the T-cell epitope presentation to immune cells.
  • the current invention is specifically geared towards addressing the proper control of the formulation, with respect to the consistency of critical antigen epitopes presentation of the product, in order to alleviate potential concerns related to antigen interference.
  • the current invention is also geared towards addressing the proper control of the formulation, with respect to the consistency of presentation of the critical T-cell epitopes of the carrier protein, in order to alleviate potential concerns related to CIES.
  • fusion proteins may elicit many specific biological functions derived from each of their component moieties.
  • recombinant fusion proteins have also become an important category of biopharmaceuticals [Chen et al., 2013].
  • linkers may offer many additional advantages for the production of fusion proteins, such as enhancement of biological activity, higher expression yield, and achieving optimal pharmacokinetic profiles.
  • fusion proteins drugs including tumor necrosis factor/Fc-IgG1,
  • Interleukin-2/diphtheria toxin Cytotoxic T-Fymphocyte Antigen-4/Fc-IgG1, Feukocyte function antigen-3/Fc-IgG1, Interleukin- 1 Receptor extracellular domain/ Fc-IgG1, and thrombopoietin/Fc-IgG1) have been licensed for human use by FDA.
  • iMAAS Integrated Multiple Antigen Displayed Adjuvant Systems
  • the integrated Multiple Antigen displayed Adjuvant Systems (iMAAS) approach comprising reCaPs, is geared towards producing chimeric fusion protein vaccines that are more immunogenic and/or more stable compared to the corresponding standalone soluble monomeric vaccine antigens.
  • iMAAS Multiple Antigen displayed Adjuvant Systems
  • a key aspect of this iMAAS is to produce Chimeric Fusion Proteins (CFPs) by incorporating Dual Function Peptides (DFP) which aid in the purification process as well as participate in the selective binding to various adjuvants.
  • the DFPs can simplify the purification process, thereby reducing the number of unit operations and cost of production. This is particularly useful to produce vaccines that are rapidly deployable during pandemic disease situations.
  • the selective non-covalent affinity binding capability of the DFPs with the adjuvant can help in multimerization of the antigens in addition to minimizing the non-specific interactions between the antigen and the adjuvant (Fig. 2).
  • the selective binding capability of the DFPs can help in the optimal display of the critical immunogenic epitopes by minimizing the non-specific interactions between the vaccine antigen and the adjuvant.
  • the present invention provides a strategy by which carrier proteins could be genetically engineered to produce Multifunctional Chimeric Fusion Proteins (MCFPs) comprising: (a) linker peptides (b) polypeptide antigens (c) Dual Function Peptides (DFP) and (d) carrier proteins.
  • MCFPs Multifunctional Chimeric Fusion Proteins
  • linker peptides b
  • polypeptide antigens c
  • Dual Function Peptides DFP
  • carrier proteins a) linker peptides
  • DFP Dual Function Peptides
  • carrier proteins a strategy by which carrier proteins could be genetically engineered to produce Multifunctional Chimeric Fusion Proteins (MCFPs) comprising: (a) linker peptides (b) polypeptide antigens (c) Dual Function Peptides (DFP) and (d) carrier proteins.
  • DFP Dual Function Peptides
  • carrier proteins d
  • the purpose of engineered DFP is to function both as a purification aid as well as having the non-covalent affinity to selectively
  • a number of vectors have been described in the art that allow positioning of the DFP at either the N-terminal or at the C-terminal end.
  • the C-terminus option is advantageous such that a signal peptide can be placed at the N-terminal end for secretion or periplasmic deposition of the recombinant protein.
  • Common examples of small peptide purification tags are the poly-Arg-, FLAG-, poly-His-, c-Myc-, S-, and StrepTag Il-tags [Rosano et al., 2014].
  • Purification tags such as the ones listed above, allow for one-step affinity purification, as resins that tightly and specifically bind the tags are available. For example, His-tagged proteins can be recovered by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC).
  • the MCFP drug substance, DS
  • a MCFP drug substance, DS
  • DFP The two key design features of DFP are (i) acting as a purification aid and (i) non-covalent affinity binding to various adjuvants by ionic charge or hydrophobic affinity or van der Waals forces or coiled-coil binding.
  • positively charged histidine affinity tags can function as purification tags as well bind to negatively charged mucoadhesive adjuvants such as polyglutamic acid (PGA) derivatives.
  • PGA polyglutamic acid
  • the optimal range for MCFP and the adjuvant binding needs to be determined for each specific peptide antigen vaccine construct comprising the MCFP.
  • the current invention also provides an illustration by which the efficiency of a carrier protein, using CTB as an example, could be further augmented by designing MCFPs with the incorporation of various peptide antigens, in conjunction with DFPs, to generate SAANPs with the ultimate goal of producing optimal vaccine constructs (e.g., SEQ ID NOs: 6, 8, 21, 23, 25, 31, 35, 40, 43, 46, 50, 54)
  • optimal vaccine constructs e.g., SEQ ID NOs: 6, 8, 21, 23, 25, 31, 35, 40, 43, 46, 50, 54
  • the current invention also provides an illustration by which the efficiency of a carrier protein, using CTB as an example, could be further augmented by designing MCFPs with the incorporation of various peptide antigens, in conjunction with DFPs, to generate SAANPs with the ultimate goal of producing optimal vaccine constructs (Fig. 2).
  • the current invention also provides an illustration by which the efficiency of a carrier protein, using CTB as an example, could be further augmented by the incorporation heterologous peptide antigen epitopes derived from various protein antigens (e.g., SEQ ID Nos: 31, 35, 40, 43, 46, 50 and 54).
  • chimeric fusion proteins with peptides linked at the C-terminus of CTB have favorable expression as well as solubility characteristics compared to the chimeric fusion proteins produced with peptides linked at the N-terminus of CTB.
  • the protein model of the CTB displaying a linker peptide (GGGSGGGSGGGS) and Histidine6Tag at the C-terminus is shown in Figure 3 (SEQ ID NO: 25).
  • the linker peptide could be replaced or added with a heterologous T- cell epitope.
  • the current invention is also directed towards incorporating these dual design features of both the antigen display as well as reCaP display, to produce Self Assembling Adjuvanted
  • Nanoparticles SAANPs. More specifically, the current invention describes methods and examples that provide multiple antigen peptide-linked Carrier Protein Displayed
  • Adjuvant systems for immunogenicity and stability enhancement. It is also the object of this invention to produce nanoparticles that incorporate the particle shape to mimic the microbial structure such as the multiple antigen display architecture on the particle surface and repetition pattern (antigen density /copy number).
  • these adjuvanted nanoparticle systems incorporate the design features for the integrated delivery of the conjugated antigen, comprising reCaP and adjuvant as well as the stability, as part of a comprehensive vaccine design and development strategy.
  • the iMCAAS approach comprising reCaPs is geared towards producing conjugate vaccines more immunogenic and/or more stable compared to the standalone “conjugate vaccine” antigens.
  • reCAPs as well as the CAPD Adjuvants, comprising reCaPs could be produced for immunogenicity and stability enhancement, to address one or more challenges associated with vaccine interference and/or CIES, by producing a robust robust immunogenic response.
  • the following examples also illustrate the method by which these reCAPs as well as the CAPD Adjuvants, comprising reCaPs, could be produced for
  • immunogenicity and stability enhancement to address one or more challenges associated with vaccine interference and/or CIES, by producing a robust robust immunogenic response.
  • Cross-reacting material 197 (CRM197), a single amino acid mutant of diphtheria toxoid, is a commonly used carrier protein in commercially licensed polysaccharide protein conjugate vaccines [Madore et al., 1987; Pichichero, 2013, Prasad 2018].
  • CRM197 carrier protein contains two T-cell epitopes of the CRM197 (amino acid residues 306-334 and 357-383) [Bixler, et al., 1989; Bixler et al., 1998], with the following amino acid sequences shown in SEQ ID NOs: 26 and 28.
  • CRM197 carrier protein A significant point of structural importance, of CRM 197 carrier protein, is the lack of lysine residues in the above described T-cell epitopes (e.g., SEQ ID Nos: 26- 28).
  • the conjugation of the protein to the antigen occurs via the modification of the lysine residues in CRM197. Therefore, it is important to note that high levels of lysine modification by the activated saccharide antigens, involving CRM197 as carrier protein in the conjugation, is less likely to directly interfere with the T-cell functional aspects of the carrier protein.
  • the lack of lysine residues, in the T-cell epitopes presents itself as a major advantage to consider CRM197 as the carrier protein of choice towards the design and development of conjugate vaccines [Prasad, 2018]
  • the current invention also provides an illustration by which the efficiency of a carrier protein, using CTB as an example, could be further augmented by the incorporation of the two heterologous T-cell epitopes derived from the protein sequence CRM197.
  • two T-cell epitopes of CRM197, one polypeptide at the N- terminus and the second polypeptide at the C-terminus are provided in SEQ ID NO: 30.
  • the first T-cell epitope from the CRM 197 protein sequence (region- 1, amino acid residues 306-334) was fused to the N-terminus of the CTB protein, whereas the CRM197 protein sequence (region-2, amino acid residues 357-383) was fused to the C- terminus of the CTB carrier protein.
  • the final protein sequence of the hybrid carrier protein containing primary sequence of the CTB carrier protein, flanked by the two T-cell epitopes of CRM197 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 31.
  • T-cell epitopes that contain no lysine residues, derived heterogeneously and insert these polypeptides in other carrier proteins and produce CAPD Adjuvants comprising these reCaPs.
  • One of the objectives of the current invention is the optional insertion of heterologously derived T-cell epitopes in various carrier proteins for the purpose of production of conjugate vaccines and augment the final T-cell mediated response of the resultant hybrid carrier proteins.
  • the reCaPs could be independently used to produce conjugate vaccines or the CAPD Adjuvants that are more potent immunologically (SEQ ID NOs: 31 and 35).
  • Another objective of the present invention is to identify an optimal adjuvant formulation compatible with oral/sublingual/buccal immunization routes to elicit a robust mucosal immune response.
  • SARS-CoV a primary goal of the iMAAS approach incorporating DFPs is to produce an easily purified, rapidly deployable vaccine for use in pandemic situations.
  • Several novel infectious diseases have emerged over the past decades.
  • SARS- CoV emerged as a pandemic in China in 2002 and spread to five continents through air travel routes, infecting more than 8,000 people and causing 774 deaths.
  • MERS- CoV emerged in the Arabian Peninsula, where it remains a major public health concern, and was exported to 27 countries, infecting a total of 2,494 individuals and claiming 858 lives.
  • a previously unknown coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.
  • SARS-CoV-2 as a pandemic pathogen, has resulted in > 8,014,550 infections and >436,300 deaths, as of 15 th June 2020. Due to its facile and rapid production, the iMAAS platform would be well suited to address these novel viral diseases.
  • SARS-CoV-2 binds with high affinity to human ACE2 and uses it as an entry receptor to invade target cells.
  • Coronavirus spike (S) glycoproteins promote entry into cells and are the main target of antibodies. It has been reported that SARS-CoV-2 S uses ACE2 to enter cells and that the receptor-binding domains (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 S and SARS-CoV S bind with similar affinities to human ACE2, correlating with the efficient spread of SARS-CoV-2 among humans [Walls et al., 2020]. Walls et al., determined cryo-Electron Microscope structures of the SARS-CoV-2 S ectodomain trimer. The SARS CoV S murine polyclonal antibodies potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 S mediated entry into cells, indicating that cross-neutralizing antibodies targeting conserved S epitopes can be elicited upon vaccination.
  • the pentameric carrier protein Cholera Toxin B could be genetically engineered to produce MCFPs comprising: (a) linker peptides, optionally fused to heterologous T-cell epitopes (b) polypeptide antigens from the RBD of the SARS Cov-2 spike proteins and (c) DFP.
  • MCFP comprising a DFP, in conjunction with a linker peptide, the target antigen polypeptide epitope and the carrier protein is to have a simpler, cost-effective and rapidly deployable purification process as well as a better controlled formulation process for pandemic pathogens such as SARS CoV, SARS CoV-2, MERS, etc.
  • the current invention provides a specific strategy by which the carrier protein Cholera Toxin B (CTB) could be genetically engineered to produce MCFPs comprising: (a) linker peptides (b) polypeptide antigens from the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the SARS Cov-2 spike proteins and (c) DFP.
  • CTB carrier protein Cholera Toxin B
  • RBD Receptor Binding Domain
  • SARS CoV-2 spike protein RBD polypeptide includes a 31 -amino acid antigen fragment shown in SEQ ID NO: 36.
  • nanoparticles are designed and produced in a manner comprising assemblies of peptides that present multiple copies of conjugated antigens, comprising reCaP and their critical immunogenic epitopes as well as T cell epitopes in ordered arrays displayed on the adjuvants.
  • conjugated antigens comprising reCaP and their critical immunogenic epitopes as well as T cell epitopes in ordered arrays displayed on the adjuvants.
  • Such nanoparticles contain defined orientations of the conjugated immunogens that can potentially mimic the critical immunogenic epitopes as well as T cell epitopes with repetitiveness, geometry, particle/molecular size and surface shape of the natural host-pathogen antigen- antibody interactions.
  • the ultimate objective of the SAANPs is the proper orientation and presentation of immunogens, as well as the T cell epitopes of the carrier proteins, having high density (high copy number of conjugated antigens) to support multiple binding events to occur simultaneously between the nanoparticle and the host cell B Cell
  • BCRs BCR Receptors
  • T-cell epitopes that contain no lysine residues, derived heterogeneously and insert these polypeptides in other carrier proteins and produce Rationally Engineered Carrier Proteins (reCaPs) and produce CAPD Adjuvants comprising these reCaPs.
  • reCaPs Rationally Engineered Carrier Proteins
  • CAPD Adjuvants comprising these reCaPs.
  • One of the objectives of the current invention is the optional insertion of heterogeneously derived T-cell epitopes in various carrier proteins for the purpose of production of conjugate vaccines and augment the final T-cell mediated response of the resultant hybrid carrier proteins.
  • the reCaPs could be independently used to produce conjugate vaccines or the CAPD Adjuvants that are more potent immunologically.
  • the current invention therefore, provides a strategy by which a number of carrier proteins suitable for the production of conjugate vaccines, supplemented with additional heterogeneous T-cell epitopes derived from other carrier proteins, such as CRM197, which do not contain lysine residues, derived from other proteins.
  • additional heterogeneous T-cell epitopes without lysine residues, allows the carrier protein to use the lysine groups, within the protein for the primary purpose of conjugation to the antigen and derive supplemental boost of T-cell help from the heterogeneously introduced polypeptide regions.
  • the present disclosure relates to the design and development of Rationally Engineered Carrier Proteins (reCaPs) geared towards producing Multifunctional Chimeric recombinant Fusion Proteins (MCFPs) useful as vaccine candidates.
  • reCaPs Rationally Engineered Carrier Proteins
  • MCFPs Multifunctional Chimeric recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • the present invention also relates to conjugate vaccine technologies related to design and development of novel reCaPs for
  • the invention also relates to the design and development of reCaPs geared towards producing MCFPs useful as vaccine candidates.
  • the present invention also relates to the recombinantly expressed Self- Assembling Adjuvanted Nanoparticles (SAANPs), comprising reCaPs fused with various polypeptide and protein antigens, useful as vaccine candidates.
  • the invention also relates to the design and development of reCaPs, with no lysine residues in the T cell epitopes, present in the carrier proteins, in order to prevent conjugation of the target antigen to the T-cell epitope regions.
  • the invention also relates to the design and development of reCaPs, with fewer lysine residues, geared towards producing conjugate vaccines with minimal cross- linking.
  • the present invention also relates to the production of Self-Assembling Adjuvanted Nanoparticles (SAANPs), comprising reCaPs conjugated with various antigens. More specifically, the present invention relates to the design and production of SAANPs, comprising MCFPs as well as carrier proteins conjugated with various antigens, to minimize non-specific interactions between the T- cell epitopes of the carrier proteins as well as the critical immunogenic epitopes of the conjugated antigens and the adjuvants.
  • SAANPs comprising MCFPs as well as carrier proteins conjugated with various antigens
  • the key components of the MCFPs are (i) genetically engineered carrier proteins; (ii) polypeptide antigens; (iii) linker peptides, optionally fused to heterologous T-cell epitopes; (iv) Dual Function Peptides (DFP) which can act as a purification aids as well having the non-covalent affinity to bind to an adjuvant (Figs. 2 and 3).
  • DFP Dual Function Peptides
  • CTB cholera toxin subunit B
  • IMAC Immobilized metal- affinity chromatography
  • CTRNV5 protein was found in the elution fractions which contained 1 M imidazole. These fractions were pooled and further analyzed. To confirm the identity of the CTRNV5 protein
  • CTRNV5 purified protein Western blot hybridization was performed with an anti-CTB monoclonal antibody, and a commercially available CTB protein was used as a positive control (Fig. 7). The antibody bound the CTRNV5 protein, consistent with the notion that CTRNV5 contains the mature CTB sequence.
  • the five B subunits of the CTB which bind predominantly to GM1 ganglioside [Gal(b1-3)GalNAc(bi-4 ⁇ NeuAc(a2-3) ⁇ Gal(b1-4)Glc(b1-1)ceramide] receptors found on the surface of mammalian cells, are widely thought of as delivery vehicles for various antigens.
  • the CTB subunits possess the capacity to trigger the selective apoptosis of CD8+ T cells, as well as to alter CD4+ T-cell differentiation, activate B cells, and modulate antigen processing and presentation by macrophages
  • the fusion protein CTRNV5 comprising CTB fusion protein (SEQ ID NOs: 24 and 25) was shown to bind with GM1 demonstrating that MCFPs produced using the current invention retain the pentameric structure.
  • the retention of the pentameric structure is important for the functional activity and immunological properties of the MCFPs produced using the current invention to be effective as adjuvanted nanoparticles.
  • the present invention provides a strategy by which carrier proteins such as Cholera Toxin B (CTB) could be genetically engineered to produce MCFPs comprising; (a) linker peptides (b) polypeptide antigens and (c) DFPs.
  • CTB Cholera Toxin B
  • the present invention provides a strategy by which carrier proteins such as Cholera Toxin B (CTB) could be genetically engineered, preferentially at the C-terminus, to produce MCFPs comprising; (a) linker peptides (b) polypeptide antigens and (c) DFPs.
  • CTB Cholera Toxin B
  • the Rationally Engineered Carrier Proteins contain the T cell epitopes obtained from the protein sequence of CRM197, such as amino acid residues: and 357-383 shown as follows:
  • T cell epitope region-1 (amino acid residues 306-334) (SEQ ID NO: 26).
  • T cell epitope region-2 (amino acid residues 357-383) (SEQ ID NO: 28).
  • the present invention provides a strategy by which carrier proteins such as CTB could be genetically engineered to produce MCFPs comprising; (a) linker peptides (b) polypeptide antigens derived from SARS CoV-2 and (c) DFPs.
  • the current invention provides an illustration by which the efficiency of a carrier protein, using CTB as an example, could be further augmented by the incorporation heterologous peptide antigen epitopes derived from various protein antigens.
  • the inventor has surprisingly found that chimeric fusion proteins with peptides linked at the C-terminus of CTB have favorable expression as well as solubility characteristics compared to the chimeric fusion proteins produced with peptides linked at the N-terminus of CTB.
  • the present invention provides a strategy by which carrier proteins such as Cholera Toxin B (CTB) could be genetically engineered preferentially at the C-terminus to produce MCFPs comprising ; (a) linker peptides (b) polypeptide antigens derived from SARS CoV-2 Spike Protein S and (c) DFPs.
  • CTB Cholera Toxin B
  • the present invention provides a strategy by which carrier proteins such as Cholera Toxin B (CTB) could be genetically engineered preferentially at the C-terminus to produce MCFPs comprising ; (a) linker peptides (b) polypeptide antigens derived from the ACE2 receptor binding domains of SARS CoV-2 and (c) DFPs.
  • CTB Cholera Toxin B
  • the present invention provides a strategy by which carrier proteins such as Cholera Toxin B (CTB) could be genetically engineered preferentially at the C-terminus to produce MCFPs comprising ; (a) linker peptides (b) polypeptide antigens derived from the ACE2 receptor binding domains of SARS CoV-2 and (c) DFPs.
  • CTB Cholera Toxin B
  • CTRNV5 carrier protein platform To test whether additional peptide antigens could be incorporated into the CTRNV5 carrier protein platform, an epitope from the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, RBD1 (SEQ ID NO: 36), was placed on the N-terminal end of CTB (CTRNV9; SEQ ID NO: 40) or the C-terminal end of CTB (CTRNV10; SEQ ID NO: 43).
  • CTRNV10 SEQ ID NO: 43
  • Fig. 9 The structure of this recombinant protein, CTRNV10 (SEQ ID NO: 43), is shown as a ribbon (CTB) and stick (RBD1, linker sequences, His 10-tag) diagram (Fig. 9).
  • CTRNV11 protein (SEQ ID NO: 46) associated with the soluble protein fraction was processed.
  • CTRNV11 could be purified by IMAC performed in batch mode, where the recombinant protein was present in elution fractions containing 1 M imidazole (Figs. 10A and 10B).
  • the DFPs are ionically charged residues that can bind non-covalently to various adjuvants. [00151] In some specific embodiments, the DFPs are positively charged residues that can bind non-covalently to various adjuvants.
  • the DFPs are positively charged residues that can bind non-covalently to various mucoadhesive adjuvants, such as the derivatives of poly glutamic acid (PGA).
  • PGA poly glutamic acid
  • the DFPs are derived from polyhistidine tags that can bind non-covalently to various adjuvants.
  • the DFPs are derived from polyhistidine tags comprised of six to ten contiguous histidine residues that can bind non-covalently to various adjuvants.
  • the DFPs are derived from polyhistidine tags that can bind non-covalently to various mucoadhesive adjuvants, such as the derivatives of polyglutamic acid (PGA).
  • PGA polyglutamic acid
  • the DFPs are derived from polyhistidine tags comprised of six to ten contiguous histidine residues that can bind non-covalently to various mucoadhesive adjuvants, such as the derivatives of polyglutamic acid (PGA).
  • PGA polyglutamic acid
  • the present invention is directed to the methods for design of novel multi- layered iMCAAS for immunogenicity and stability enhancement, applicable for the development of optimal nanoparticle vaccine constructs.
  • the classical approach of mixing of the conjugated antigen(s) with adjuvant(s) during the formulation (Fig. 1).
  • Several advances have been made towards addressing the proper orientation and density of the conjugated antigen along with presentation and shape of the immunogenic constructs (drug substance portion), as exemplified by Self-Assembling Nanoparticles (SANPs).
  • STEMPs Self-Assembling Nanoparticles
  • the present invention is directed to the methods for design of novel multi-layered iMCAAS for immunogenicity and stability enhancement, applicable for the development of optimal nanoparticle vaccine constructs.
  • these novel Multiple CAPD Adjuvant systems are constructed more specifically using three inventive steps comprising (i) covalently linking specific short peptides, without lysine residues, to the carrier proteins for the purpose of formation of multimeric arrays ; (ii) chemical conjugation of the peptide-linked carrier protein to the antigen of interest; and (iii) the final formulation process step, which directs the multiple antigen arrays of the conjugated antigen on the adjuvant in a well ordered and controlled manner to produce CAPDAdjuvants, to reduce non-specific interactions.
  • the invention provides iMCAAS to be used as efficient conjugate vaccines comprising‘integrated functionalized carrier protein nanoparticles containing both an conjugated antigen and an adjuvant’, and a method of vaccinating humans or non-human animals using such functionalized conjugated antigen, comprising rationally engineered carrier proteins, nanoparticles containing adjuvants.
  • the invention also provides processes for making conjugated antigen nanoparticles comprising functionalized carrier protein nanoparticles.
  • the present invention is specifically directed to address the key challenge of the proper orientation and the preservation, protection and presentation of the critical immunogenic epitopes of the conjugated antigens, as well as T cell epitopes of the carrier proteins, in a stepwise manner.
  • the current invention is directed towards the optional insertion of heterogeneously derived T-cell epitopes in various carrier proteins, prior to conjugation with the antigen, for the purpose of production of conjugate vaccines and augment the final T-cell mediated response of the resultant hybrid carrier proteins.
  • the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle vaccine compositions comprising reCaP, hereof comprise aluminum as an adjuvant, e.g., in the form of aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, aluminum potassium phosphate, calcium phosphate or combinations thereof, in concentrations of 0.05-5 mg, e.g., from 0.075-1.0 mg, of aluminum content per dose.
  • the present disclosure provides a method of eliciting an immune response against the conjugated immunogen that is part of the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle, comprising reCaP, composition in a subject, such as a human, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of the conjugated immunogen that is part of the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle composition; a nucleic acid molecule encoding the conjugated immunogen that is part of the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle composition; or a composition comprising the conjugated immunogen that is part of the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle composition or nucleic acid molecule.
  • the present disclosure also provides a method of preventing infection in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition, such as a conjugate vaccine that is part of the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle composition.
  • a pharmaceutical composition such as a conjugate vaccine that is part of the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle composition.
  • the pharmaceutical composition comprises a nucleotide encoding the conjugated immunogen that is part of the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle composition.
  • the subject is a human.
  • the human is a child, such as an infant.
  • the human is a woman, particularly a pregnant woman.
  • the effective amount administered to the subject is an amount that is sufficient to elicit an immune response against a conjugated antigen, comprising reCaP, defined by the immunogen that is part of the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle composition in the subject.
  • the CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle vaccine compositions further comprise an immunomodulatory agent, such as an adjuvant.
  • an immunomodulatory agent such as an adjuvant.
  • suitable adjuvants include aluminum salts such as aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate and/or calcium phosphate; derivatives of PGA, chitosan, CpG-motif containing oligonucleotides, ADP-ribosylating bacterial toxins or mutants thereof, such as E. coli heat labile enterotoxin LT, cholera toxin CT, and the like.
  • CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticles can be identified by methods known in the art, such as by visual inspection of a crystal structure of an immunogen, or by using computational protein design software such as BioLuminate.TM. [BioLuminate, Schrodinger LLC, New York, 2015], Discovery Studio. TM. [Discovery Studio Modeling Environment, Accelrys, San Diego, 2015], MOE.TM. [Molecular Operating Environment, Chemical Computing Group Inc., Montreal, 2015], and Rosetta.TM. [Rosetta, University of Washington, Seattle, 2015]).
  • the amino acids to be utilized for the design of multimerization domains for the formation of CAPD Adjuvant nanoparticle typically include small aliphatic (e.g. Gly, Ala, and Val) or small polar amino acids (e.g. Ser and Thr).
  • the amino acids can be large aliphatic amino acids (lie, Leu and Met) or large aromatic amino acids (His, Phe, Tyr and Trp).
  • the peptide-linked carrier proteins provided by the present disclosure can be prepared by routine methods known in the art, such as by expression in a recombinant host system using a suitable vector.
  • Suitable recombinant host cells include, for example, insect cells, mammalian cells, avian cells, bacteria, and yeast cells.
  • suitable insect cells include, for example, Sf9 cells, Sf21 cells, Tn5 cells, Schneider S2 cells, and High Five cells (a clonal isolate derived from the parental Trichoplusia ni BTI-TN-5B1-4 cell line (Invitrogen)).
  • suitable mammalian cells include Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293 or Expi 293 cells, typically transformed by sheared adenovirus type 5 DNA), NIH-3T3 cells, 293-T cells, Vero cells, and HeLa cells.
  • Suitable avian cells include, for example, chicken embryonic stem cells (e.g., EBx.RTM. cells), chicken embryonic fibroblasts, chicken embryonic germ cells, quail fibroblasts (e.g. ELL-O), and duck cells.
  • Suitable insect cell expression systems such as baculovirus-vectored systems, are known to those of skill in the art and described in, e.g., Summers and Smith, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin No. 1555 (1987). Materials and methods for baculovirus/insect cell expression systems are commercially available in kit form from inter alia, Invitrogen, San Diego Calif. Avian cell expression systems are also known to those of skill in the art and described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,340,740; 5,656,479; 5,830,510; 6,114,168; and 6,500,668. Similarly, bacterial and mammalian cell expression systems are also known in the art and described in, e.g., Yeast Genetic Engineering (Barr et al., eds., 1989) Butterworths, London.
  • Suitable vectors for expression of recombinant proteins in insect or mammalian cells are well-known and conventional in the art.
  • Suitable vectors can contain a number of components, including, but not limited to one or more of the following: an origin of replication; a selectable marker gene; one or more expression control elements, such as a transcriptional control element (e.g., a promoter, an enhancer, a terminator), and/or one or more translation signals; and a signal sequence or leader sequence for targeting to the secretory pathway in a selected host cell (e.g., of mammalian origin or from a heterologous mammalian or non-mammalian species).
  • a transcriptional control element e.g., a promoter, an enhancer, a terminator
  • a signal sequence or leader sequence for targeting to the secretory pathway in a selected host cell (e.g., of mammalian origin or from a heterologous mammalian or non-mammalian species).
  • baculovirus expression vector such as pFastBac (Invitrogen)
  • pFastBac Invitrogen
  • the baculovirus particles are amplified and used to infect insect cells to express recombinant protein.
  • a vector that will drive expression of the construct in the desired mammalian host cell e.g., Chinese hamster ovary cells
  • nanoparticles can be purified using any suitable methods.
  • methods typically used for protein antigens such as immunoaffinity chromatography are known in the art.
  • Suitable methods for purifying desired peptide-linked protein immunogens include precipitation and various types of chromatography, such as hydrophobic interaction, ion exchange, affinity, chelating and size exclusion are well-known in the art.
  • Suitable purification schemes can be created using two or more of these or other suitable methods.
  • the peptide-linked protein immunogens can include a "tag" that facilitates purification, such as an epitope tag or a histidine (HIS) tag.
  • Such tagged polypeptides can conveniently be purified, for example from conditioned media, by chelating
  • oligonucleotides were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO), and restriction endonucleases were purchased from New England Biolabs (Ipswich, MA). DNA assembly reactions were performed with NEBuilder HiFi DNA Assembly Master Mix (New England Biolabs). pET28a (MilliporeSigma, Burlington, MA) expression vector was digested with NcoI-HF and BamHI-HF, and overlapping sequences to facilitate insertion of synthetic DNA fragments into the vector were added during DNA synthesis (SEQ ID NOG and SEQ ID NO:4 added to the 5’ and 3’ end, respectively). Cloning reactions were transformed into E.
  • E. coli BL21 (DE3) was used as the expression host.
  • Recombinant CTB fusion proteins were purified by IMAC in batch mode. Frozen cell pellets were resuspended in IX BugBuster Protein Extraction Reagent (MilliporeSigma) containing 100 mM Tris, pH 7.9, 100 mM NaCl, 5 mM imidazole, Benzonase (MilliporeSigma), and cOmplete EDTA-free Protease Inhibitor (Roche, Indianapolis, IN). Cells were lysed at room temperature for 20 min, and insoluble material was removed by centrifugation. The soluble protein fraction was incubated with equilibrated HisPur Ni-NTA Resin (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA), and the resin was washed with buffers containing increasing concentrations of imidazole.
  • the recombinant protein was eluted in buffer containing 20 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.9, 0.5 M NaCl, 1 M imidazole. Protein quantification was performed with the Quick Start Bradford Protein Assay (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA) as described for the Standard assay performed in microplate format.
  • ELISA for CTB proteins binding to GM1 ganglioside was performed in a similar manner as described previously (Liao J, Gibson JA, Pickering BS, Watnick PI. 2018. Sublingual adjuvant delivery by a live attenuated Vibrio cholerae-based antigen presentation platform. mSphere 3:e00245-18.) Wells of a Nunc Maxisorp (Thermo Fisher Scientific) plate were coated with 100 ng GM1 ganglioside (AdipoGen Life Sciences, San Diego, CA) prepared in 50 mM sodium carbonate buffer, pH 9.6. 50 mM sodium carbonate buffer, pH 9.6, was added to non-coated wells. The plate was covered and incubated overnight at room temperature.
  • bovine serum albumin prepared in 50 mM sodium carbonate buffer, pH 9.6 was added to each well to block, and the plate was incubated for 2 hours at room temperature. This solution was decanted, and the wells were washed twice with 100 uL 1X phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.4, containing 0.1% Tween 20 (PBS-T).
  • PBS 1X phosphate-buffered saline
  • PBS-T 0.1% Tween 20
  • CTRNV5 100 uL of the following concentrations of either CTRNV5, commercially available CTB (sourced from Sigma- Aldrich, protein referred to as Sigma CTB), or BSA were added to the wells: 0.5 ug/mL, 0.25 ug/mL, 0.125 ug/mL, 0.0625 ug/mL, 0.03125 ug/mL, 0.015625 ug/mL, 0.007813 ug/mL, 0.003906 ug/mL, 0.001953 ug/mL, 0.000977 ug/mL, 0.000488 ug/mL. Proteins were diluted in IX PBS, and a column of wells where no protein was added was included as a blank.
  • the plate was covered and incubated overnight at room temperature. This solution was decanted, and the wells were washed twice with 100 uL PBS-T. The plate was further blocked with 100 uL PBS-T + 1% BSA. The plate was incubated for 2 hours at room temperature. This solution was decanted, and 100 uL of a 1 ug/mL solution (diluted in PBS-T + 1% BSA) of a-CTB mouse monoclonal antibody (Sigma- Aldrich) was added to each well. The plate was incubated for 2 hours at room temperature. This solution was decanted, and the wells were washed twice with 100 uL PBS-T.
  • a 1 ug/mL solution diluted in PBS-T + 1% BSA
  • a-CTB mouse monoclonal antibody Sigma- Aldrich
  • Example 7 Western blot hybridization [00176] Following electrophoretic separation, proteins were transferred to PVDF membrane. All membrane blocking and antibody hybridization steps were performed in Tris-buffered saline containing 0.1% Tween 20 (TBS-T) and 5% non-fat dry milk. All membrane wash steps were performed in TBS-T. The membrane was probed with a mouse monoclonal anti-cholera toxin B subunit-specific antibody (Sigma- Aldrich) diluted to 1 mg/mL. Goat anti-mouse IgG (H+L)-AP Conjugate (Thermo Fisher Scientific) at a 1:10,000 dilution was used as the secondary antibody.
  • TBS-T Tris-buffered saline containing 0.1% Tween 20
  • All membrane wash steps were performed in TBS-T.
  • the membrane was probed with a mouse monoclonal anti-cholera toxin B subunit-specific antibody (Sigma- Aldrich) diluted to 1 mg/mL. Go
  • Example 8 Design and preparation of SAANPs containing the carrier protein Cholera Toxin B (CTB)
  • This example outlines the design and preparation of self-assembling nanoparticles containing CTB, which includes (i) a linker peptide and/or a T-cell epitope optionally without lysine residues; (ii) peptide antigen and (iii) DFP.
  • modified CTB carrier proteins MCFPs
  • MCFPs modified CTB carrier proteins
  • the MCFP is chemically coupled with haptens or peptide or carbohydrate antigens to produce conjugated antigens;
  • the MCFP produced in step 2 or conjugate produced in step 3 is formulated by mixing with the adjuvant, such as PGA and is non-covalently complexed together to produce SAANP vaccine system.
  • Tam JP Synthetic peptide vaccine design: synthesis and properties of a high-density multiple antigenic peptide system. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1988, 85 (15): 5409-5413. [00183] Posnett et al., Multiple Antigenic Peptide Method for producing antipeptide site-specific antibodies. Methods Enzymol. 1989; 178: 739-746.
  • Fujita et al. Current status of multiple antigen-presenting peptide vaccine systems: Application of organic and inorganic nanoparticles. Chemistry Central Journal, 2011, 5:48; 1-8.
  • Wille-Reece, et al. HIV Gag protein conjugated to a Toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist improves the magnitude and quality of Thl and CD8+ T cell responses in nonhuman primates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005
  • Rosano, GL, Ceccarelli, EE Recombinant protein expression in
  • Escherichia coli advances and challenges. Front. Microbiol. 2014, 5, 172, 1-17.
  • Miroshnikov et al. "Engineering trimeric fibrous proteins based on bacteriophage T4 adhesins", Protein Eng Des Sel, 1998 11:329-414.
  • Todd et al. “Designing supramolecular protein assemblies", Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 2002, 12, pp. 464-470.
  • Kanekiyo et al. Self-assembling influenza nanoparticle vaccines elicit broadly neutralizing H1N1 antibodies. Nature. 2013; 499(7456): 102-106.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne la conception de protéines porteuses modifiées de manière rationnelle (reCaP) destinées à produire des protéines de fusion recombinantes chimériques multifonctionnelles (MCFP) utiles en tant que candidats vaccins. Les composants clés des MCFC sont (i) des protéines porteuses génétiquement modifiées; (ii) des antigènes polypeptidiques; (iii) des peptides de liaison, éventuellement fusionnés à des épitopes de lymphocytes T hétérologues; (iv) des peptides à double fonction (DFP) qui peuvent agir en tant qu'auxiliaires de purification présentant également l'affinité de liaison non covalente à un adjuvant. La présente invention concerne également des nanoparticules adjuvantées à auto-assemblage exprimées par recombinaison (SAANP), comprenant des reCaP fusionnées avec divers antigènes polypeptidiques et protéiques, utiles en tant que candidats vaccins. La présente invention concerne également de nouveaux systèmes adjuvantés de présentation d'antigènes conjugués multiples intégrés (iMCAAS, integrated Multiple Conjugate Antigen displayed Adjuvanted Systems), comprenant des protéines porteuses modifiées de manière rationnelle, basés sur des "nanoparticules adjuvantées à auto-assemblage" [SAANPs]. Ces nanoparticules adjuvantées fournissent finalement des interactions antigène-anticorps plus fortes que les interactions à faible affinité fournies par la liaison monovalente générée par des immunogènes à un seul antigène.
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